Renee Andrews - Small-Town Billionaire

“I would be.”

“Not if it isn’t what she wants.” She shook her head, then said, “I thought, or rather, I hoped that part of your decision to stick around for the remaining weeks of your therapy was because you had an interest in Maribeth. And I don’t mean her business, but her, the person. In my opinion, she’s exactly the type of person you need in your life. She’s beautiful and smart, and she loves God. And she’s feisty enough to handle you, which I can’t say about most women.” She opened her fingertips above the steering wheel and then curled them in to clasp it, but Ryan suspected she’d rather be pressing them against his throat. She’d never been good at hiding irritation. “I thought you were acting interested in her, but I should have known you were only interested in her idea and what you could do with it.”

Ryan didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t deny that he was physically attracted to Maribeth, but he also didn’t plan on acting on that attraction. Dana was right; the lady was beautiful, smart and feisty. And she seemed like the real deal when it came to her love of God, which was something Dana wanted in Ryan’s life, even if it wasn’t something he was looking for. Truthfully, he didn’t know enough about God to know whether he wanted Him in his life or not. But the main reason he couldn’t have any type of relationship with the woman was because that strong, bizarre attraction he felt every time she was around seemed way too similar to the fascination he’d had toward Nannette. It felt real. And his past experience told him that if it seemed that real that quick...it wasn’t.

He wouldn’t get his heart broken again.

“Wait a minute,” Dana said, studying him as though she knew his very thoughts. And, based on past experience, he suspected she did. All of those years with the two of them depending on each other as best friends when their father left them to one nanny or another had them so tuned in to each other’s feelings that Dana didn’t miss where his mind had headed now.

“You are feeling something toward Maribeth, aren’t you?” she questioned. “But you’re still suffering from shell shock after what happened with Nannette.” She nodded once, as though she didn’t need affirmation from Ryan to know she’d hit the mark. Then she picked up her coffee mug, took a sip and then put the car in drive. “I’ve changed my mind,” she said, pulling out onto the road.

Ryan drank his coffee, which had turned cold and bitter, and debated whether to ask, but curiosity got the best of him. “Okay, I’ll bite. Changed your mind about what?”

“About you talking to Maribeth about her business. I think you should try to convince her to let you help her out, make her business bigger and all of that.” Her smile looked way too smug. “Yeah, I think that’s a great idea, in fact.”

He could figure out nearly every board member’s wishes by studying their faces at the table, but he had no idea what was going on in Dana’s mind right now. “You think it’s a great idea?”

“Yes. Because I know Maribeth, and she isn’t going to do anything she doesn’t want to do. If she has her mind made up, there isn’t a thing you can do to change that.” Still grinning, she accelerated and added, “But I also know that she could make a difference in your life. Because she’s exactly what you need, whether you realize it or not, and I’m not talking about her business.”

“It’s her business I’m interested in,” he said. “That’s it.” But even as he said the words, he, like Dana, debated whether they were true.

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